White Day, Spite Day
by akaisherry47
Summary: For Kyoko, March 14th is the day she admits that Pandora's Box is reopened. For Kanae however, its a day of reckoning...
1. A Premonition

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any copyrights mentioned in this story.

Notes: This is my first time writing for this fandom, so please bear with me if I wasn't able to get the feel right. I haven't written anything like this in a long time so again, this is a step out of my comfort zone. Some of the names might not be accurate, so feel free to correct me so I can edit it.

Kanae-centric - the premise of this story pretty much explains why Kyoko isn't going to make any real appearances here (since she's supposed to be talking to the president around the time this story's supposed to happen). There's already a thousand or so different stories about her in this site alone so I'm gonna give Kanae a chance to shine here instead. Also, I don't feel very confident writing about Kyoko at this point.

As far as recent chapters go, the aftermath of Kanae's Vain Day (as it will be called here) remains to be seen. There's a good chance it'll be shown in the future, but for now, allow me to put my own spin on it. Kyoko's White Day was already heavy, so I figured a lighter story for Kanae would serve as a good contrast to it.

* * *

_"__How long has it been since the first time I was in this studio?"_ Kanae Kotonami tries to recall as she makes her way through the shadowed hallway leading to the limelight. _"Two years... Three years, maybe? ...All I remember is that it was when we were asked to support Bridge Rock's first hosting stint..._

_"... It just seems like a distant memory, even though it was such an important step in launching the careers of some of LME's prized talents, namely myself, the greatest actress and endorser in all of Asia; KYOKO, now the most in-demand Asian actress and endorser in Hollywood after the legendary Kuu Hizuri officially took her under his wing following Box R's success in the international scene; and Bridge Rock, hosts of the highest-rated variety show in Japan over the last decade."_

A smile, both of content and conceit, creases her lips. Indeed, each of them have come a long way since those humble beginnings. _"Looking back, it turned out to be a win-win situation for everyone involved. I avoided what could have been a big blemish in my career... She learned a valuable lesson in this business and, in spite of what I originally intended to happen and what the producer told her that day, earned her first regular spot as the overweight rooster Bo... Bridge Rock was able to get their first stint over without a hitch and soon became comfortable as hosts._

_"Now, they'll have the honor of interviewing me for the first time since winning my second consecutive grand slam in Japan's major award-giving bodies for film..."_

Kanae takes a deep breath as she finally emerges to the stage, taking in every bit of her milieu. From the array of lights that will never be bright enough to stress her exalted presence; the "Kanae-sama" chants and roars from the crowd – a soothing chorus she never gets tired of; the positions of each camera, broadcasting this momentous occasion live on primetime, to hundreds of thousands of TV sets and smartphones all across the nation. And of course, the topic of this interview that isn't her: the trophies... Her trophies, hallmarked in a glass case for fans to see. Cheap trinkets, considering the stellar performances that earned them.

But no matter how trivial these are, she accepts each of them wholeheartedly, for they are testaments to the dues she paid and the success she achieved in turn.

From the myriad of signs and banners behind the camera, Kanae instantly notices one, held up by one of the show's staff. Her cue to finally come up the stage. With her arms crossed and an indignant look on her face, she walks to the center beside the hosts. Unlike with other celebrities, her fans don't think of this as a sign of rudeness, their cheers growing even louder at the sight of her trademark confidence._"That's right. As long as you're skilled enough, you don't need to beg others to love you."_

After the introductions, Bo nimbly frolics towards Kanae and escorts her to a bar stool provided for the guest. _"It's definitely her inside. She must have come back all the way from Los Angeles just to congratulate me. Really, this girl... __If she keeps ignoring the fact that we're also rivals, I'm breaking into Hollywood myself to snatch her title...__"_ She takes advantage of a blind angle provided by her back to smile wryly at the mascot.

To start off the show, One of the hosts, Yuusei, asks Kanae how she feels about being a guest on Kimagure Rock.

"A little nostalgic. I don't know how many of you remember this, but I was helping out backstage during the first episode, when Sho Fuwa's the guest," she answered. Other celebrities mention an early experience like this gratefully, but not Kanae, who sounded rather annoyed looking back on how close she got to becoming the fat chicken that time.

"Yeah, we remember seeing you with Ky-"

Suddenly, Hikaru covers Yuusei's mouth and asks another question instead. Kyoko being the main Bo is still a secret, it seems. "So how do you feel now that you're the guest?"

"Confident. Because I know my appearance will earn this show's highest rating ever." Kanae smirks, punctuating her bold statement. A passionate applause from her fans rattles the set in an instant.

Once the staff has calmed the audience down, Hikaru brings up the award she received only recently, the one that completed her second grand slam. "Did you expect winning it for the second straight year?" he asked, pointing at the glass case set up across. The camera rolls through the trophies for a few seconds as well, giving those at home a close-up look.

"Yes and no. Yes, because after seeing my opponents' performances, I would have to say they never stood a chance to begin with. And no, because frankly, I wasn't satisfied with my performance either," Kanae said. She had always believed that honesty is always better than a feigned humility that everyone can see past through anyway.

A synchronized "ooohhh" was heard from her loyal subjects filling the bleachers, confirming that she's right.

"As expected from Kotonami-san! Always striving to be the best!" Hikaru waits for the audience's murmurs to cease before moving on with the next question. "So what did you do after receiving the trophy?"

"I just went home and ordered a new shelf online since the trophy wouldn't fit in my old one anymore."

"You didn't go to the after-party?" Yuusei followed up.

"No. It was too much of a hassle to try to mingle with people, especially those who hold a grudge against me for losing an hour ago. Besides, I don't want to ruin my diet and my biological clock by staying there needlessly."

Another "ooohhh" resounds from the audience, applauding her decision.

"Kotonami-san really doesn't like mixing it up with others, eh," the third host, Shinichi, commented.

"Its rare to find celebrities who can make a solid barrier between work and personal life the way Kotonami-san does these days." added Hikaru.

"Gives her an air of mystery us guys would love to figure out, don't you think?" Yuusei said.

While the Bridge Rock trio exchange nods and opinions away from the mic, Bo patters into the scene, a basket of eggs in hand.

"Oh, so I guess it's that time again," Hikaru says as the mascot stops beside Kanae. "Everyone looks forward to this week after week, ourselves included."

While Bridge Rock was busy firing up the crowd for the upcoming segment, Kanae remembered how Kyoko tried to sabotage her dear childhood friend's guesting by replacing the questions with her own humiliating ones – she found out about it when she, out of a nagging curiosity she couldn't shrug off, cornered a troubled Kyoko into spitting everything out. Following the ironic success of that, it seems the show has decided to accept journalist-level questions from the audience and in social media as long as the censuring committee allows it and answering them won't take too long.

"Now, we know you already know how this works, Kotonami-san, but we're going to explain it to you anyway." Yuusei starts, gesturing for the camera to zoom towards the basket in Bo's wings. "In these eggs are questions we gathered from our live audience as well as those active on social media moments before we started airing."

Shinichi continues the explanation. "None of us know what's inside these eggs except the person who wrote the question. It can be something as simple as your hobbies or your favorite stuff or your opinion on current affairs."

"Or it can be something as personal as, say, your real name, or the first role you failed to get. You know how nosy our fans can get," Hikaru said the last part jokingly, garnering some laughter from the audience. "Of course it's up to you whether you wanna answer or not. So... Whenever you're ready, just pick one."

_"But whatever happened to Sho Fuwa that day, __i__t won't happen to me!" _Kanae swears to herself as she stares at the pile of artificial eggs. _"I've taken great care of my career and image all this time, making sure that no journalist can ever write something bad about me. My record is even cleaner than Ren Tsuruga. And if anyone dares what those media people can't do... I'll shut them up just the same."_

Confident that she can handle whatever's thrown at her, Kanae randomly picks her poison, the farthermost egg in the basket as it turns out, and tosses it to the hosts. Being the one in the middle, Hikaru was the one to catch it. He didn't waste any time breaking it, as excited as everyone is about what's inside.

"Whoa... That's a very intimate question there," Yuusei commented as a forewarning to Kanae.

"Right. Very, very intimate," Shinichi repeated.

Hikaru, meanwhile, did not say a word, his eyes fixed on the small piece of paper as if internalizing it.

Judging from the suspicious faces they were making, Kanae sensed that the question borders on something quite personal and embarrassing, like when they asked about Sho Fuwa's name. Not about to withdraw her resolve however, she says indifferently, "I don't know when I'll be able to guest again, so whatever that is... I'll answer it so long as its appropriate."

"Well, it is appropriate, we'll give you that. And its a pretty common question with our guests too," Hikaru finally says, his attention still glued at the question. "But are you sure you really wanna answer? There's no taking back if you say yes."

"Just get it over with already!" the actress demanded.

"Alright! You heard it folks! Kotonami-san will brave her first question!"

The crowd clamored rabidly upon the declaration, the "Kanae-sama" chants roaring fervidly across the studio. The lively bunch that they are, Bridge Rock fires up the crowd even more, initiating a rhythmic clap to go along with the chants, that went on until the floor manager gestured to her watch to remind them of the program proper. They decided to cap the cheers with a countdown before reading the question aloud, for an added suspense.

Three!

Two!

One!

And so, the moment of truth...

"What's the real score between you and Hiou Uesugi?" Hikaru finally asks.

...Again, there was a countdown, this time a silent one.

Three...

Two...

One...

Kanae finally opens her mouth...

"... Eh?" was all she could inaudibly utter after processing the question inside her head, or failing to do so, rather.

Thus, the entire show was stymied, the audience at hand as well as the hosts waiting in bated breath for the answer the actress couldn't give as promised. Even her fans watching elsewhere were taken aback by her colorless face when the camera zoomed in on it. Screenshots of it were begging to flood the Internet as well, some of them being shared through the show's page.

"...What's the question again?" she added in the same, hapless manner.

"Uhh... What's the real score between you and Hiou Uesugi-kun?" Hikaru repeated cautiously.

...Another countdown ensues inside Kanae's head, this one more akin to a ticking time bomb.

Three.

Two.

One.

Boom.

"...Who the hell asked that damn question?!" Kanae snapped. However, nobody seems to have heard her, everyone - from the hosts, the audience, even the staff, already starting to share their reaction to the nearest person.

"They're dating?"

"Well, rumors about them going out has been around for a looong time. Some even say they're now engaged."

For some reason, Kanae could hear what they were whispering about, but she couldn't tell who said what. Even the hosts' voice got jumbled with the other, louder male voices in the set. "W-w-wait a minute-! W-we're not going out and we're definitely not getting married! W-w-we're just friends!" she said. But as soon as the words are registered in her head, she regretted it deeply. How could she blurt out an obvious lie spoken by every actress in every interview when denying any flirtatious relations with someone, on live TV even?

"Oh, I heard about that too. They say Kotonami-san and Uesugi-kun go way back from their Miyako Minamori days."

"Well, they're both known for their snobbish personalities, so I guess they are a good match."

"We were just having lunch together!" Kanae desperately defends. "That's not even counted as 'going out'!" Still, not a soul heard her, her prestigious status as a back-to-back grand slam-winning actress seemingly cancelled out by this scandal that broke out with hardly any precedence other than the "intimate" warning a minute ago.

"But isn't Uesugi-kun just... ten... twelve years old then?"

"You know what they say... Age doesn't matter so long as there's love."

"WHAT KIND OF IDIOT SAID SUCH THING?! THERE'S NEVER ANY LOVE IN RELATIONSHIPS LIKE THAT! ONLY DESIRE TO PLEASE THE OLDER PERSON'S EGO OR THE YOUNGER'S NECESSITIES!"

Suddenly, Bo's enormous shadow looms over Kanae...

"FOOL! HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE VERY CONCEPT OF LOVE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION!" the rooster bawls out in a rather familiar fashion, startling Kanae so much that she squirmed on her seat, causing it to lose balance and eventually toppling down along with her.

The raven-haired actress gasped fearfully. "T-that voice... I-it can't be-"

At last, the Bridge Rock trio heard her dire calls, but their intention wasn't to aid her, but instead, set the tone for the next part of her execution. "Oh, we forgot to tell you. Since our regular Bo couldn't come because he's still traveling abroad, our other special guest volunteered to try on the suit."

The moment Bridge Rock said it, Kanae was a hundred percent certain who's inside the suit. There's only two people who'd wear it willingly as far as she's concerned, and as much as she wanted it to be Kyoko, with her uncanny ability to imitate other people's speech patterns, she knows Kyoko wouldn't go through these lengths just to embarrass her bestfriend, even if she actually bore a grudge for the times she was insulted by her. Which leaves the other, more probable culprit...

"And without further ado, let's hear it for our special guest, LME's one and only president, Mr. Lory Takarada!" A hail of glittered confetti falls from the rafters as Bo takes center stage, a spotlight zeroing in on him as he takes off his headwear to reveal the not-so-mysterious person inside. The crowd, completely stolen for Kanae who had fallen from grace, both figuratively and literally, were completely awed by the surprise appearance of this distinguished personality. And as funny as the president looked when he, in Bo's large body, bowed gentlemanly, all of them clapped in awe, like they had just witnessed a Broadway-caliber skit.

Humiliated and upstaged at a show where she's supposed to be the star, for the night that is, Kanae was having none of her boss's antics."P-president? W-what are you doing on my show?!" she asked in a demanding tone. She was still slumped on the stage though.

Putting back on Bo's cute, harmless face, President Lory explains, "For starters, my company still produces this show. That means I can come here whenever I want. And when I heard my favorite LoveMe member's slated to guest, I just couldn't pass up the chance."

She raises an awkward eyebrow. "I-isn't M-Mogami your favorite member?"

"But Mogami-kun's not here anymore." The president holds up his palm, or rather, his wing up to his chest as if reminded of a heartbreaking departure scene in a drama. "As much as it pained me to see her go, when she confessed that she had fallen for someone and had finally rediscovered that long-lost feeling of love, all I could do was give her my utmost blessing."

Hearing about her friend's supposed confession, Kanae was quite piqued. "You mean she finally admitted she likes that lady-killer Tsuruga?"_  
_

"Yes, but I didn't come here to talk about that, Kotonami-kun."

Kanae could picture the president's face underneath the stuffy rooster head: its definitely the one he had when he scolded her and Kyoko for making a mockery out of LoveMe's principles and said drastic measures had to be taken.

"Of all the members of the LoveMe section, YOU'RE the one who has scored the lowest number of points!" President Lory points an accusatory finger at her. Using Bo's wing, of course. "Even Amamiya-kun earned more positive stamps in one month than you have for a whole year! At this rate, you'll never get that big début like Mogami-kun had in Hollywood!"

Unable to digest getting compared to both Kyoko and Chiori in a field as silly as getting love points, Kanae finally picks herself up and tries to stand her ground. "Well, I don't need your company's help with that anymore! Just look at all my trophi-" But when she pointed at the glass case holding her legacy, all it contained were trophies carved out of blocks of chocolate. Not a trace of gold and silver can be found other than the wrappers and ornaments surrounding the chocolate. "What the hell happened to my trophies?!"

"You still don't realize it, eh?" The president in the rooster suit snickers wickedly. "That your grand slam victories, as well as this interview, were nothing but a _dokkiri_ I organized to make you realize your ineptitude!"

Kanae receives the shock of her life upon the dispiriting revelation. A lifetime of accomplishment turned into calorie monsters of different varieties. Classic, white, dark... There's one of each type inside the case, like a display at a confectionery convention...

"To be easily deceived by something like this... It only proves that you've learned nothing after all this time..." The president shakes his head in utter disappointment. Just like his post-Valentine's Day reproach, however, his remorse was short-lived. "And as punishment for slacking off as a LoveMe member, I hereby proclaim that you will not get any roles in any drama in any network in any country until you graduate from LoveMe!" The mascot costume casts a shadow bigger than the one that toppled Kanae over.

"Really? And how are you gonna do that?" she fired back sarcastically but without any resolve. There wasn't any left for a more enthusiastic reaction after the shock.

"I'm a very influential man, Kotonami-kun. If I want to put pressure on a game company for making a love simulation where the characters don't end up together, I only need to make a couple of phonecalls from my office and they'll revise the game immediately."

_"__I knew you'd say something like that...," _she thought, sighing in defeat. While it is possible to overcome the likes of Erika Kouenji with talent alone, going up against LME's head honcho is an entirely different battle. "...Is there any way I can prevent you from ruining my career?"

"But of course. Who do you think I am? It doesn't depend on you though... Not entirely."

"Well, I'm all ears." _"What else can I do at this point anyway?"_

"I will only lift your sentence if you receive a return gift from Uesugi-kun for the chocolate you gave him with all your heart on Valentine's Day."

When President Takarada said "with all her heart", Kanae's face was drained of all color except one: red. "Hey! I-I didn't give him those chocolates because I li-"

But the president wasn't done. "And no, its not going to be just a simple gift. It must be three times worth your chocolate! Be it a more expensive chocolate, jewelry, a stuffed bear, even clothing or swimsuits for the coming summer."

"Are you crazy?! That's extortion! A-and how could someone like Hiou-kun give swimsuits of all things?!" she exclaimed, having found her second wind.

"That was just an example. You can find it online if you search for White Day present suggestions." President Lory clears his throat, making a sound similar to a rooster groaning. "In any case, it must be thrice the value of what you have given. Otherwise, you'll have to give him another _honmei_ choco next Valentine's Day, year after year until he finally gives you one that passes the standard."

"But that's impossible!" Kanae protests against the highly-unreasonable condition. Where in the world is she supposed to get the guts to make chocolates for Hiou-kun every year? "I swear, if there's any alternative, I'll do it without any complaints!"

"Well, you can just admit on national television that you've fal-"

"Fine. I'll wait for a White Day present," Kanae agrees coldly, reluctantly, refusing to hear the rest of the other choice. Whatever it is, its most likely an equivalent of career suicide.

At last, she got on the same page with President Lory, who suddenly grabs both her hands with Bo's wings. "That's the spirit, Kotonami-kun. I'm sure you'll do fine like Mogami-kun did when she admitted everything to me." After one final encouraging tap on her shoulder, he patters out of the studio through the tunnel she came in when the show started, his clucking echoing until he was too far away to be heard. Only then did Kanae notice that the hosts, as well as the audience, have already left the studio, leaving only a handful of crew to pack up, all of which were too busy finishing their last task to notice that she was still on stage. Group by group, the lights were turned off, and one by one, the remaining staff heads home, leaving her all alone in a lifeless room, devoid of the energy the program generated not too long ago, wondering how in the world is she ever going to get Hiou-kun to give her a present worth thrice the respect she had confessed to him on Valentine's Day, and what kind of present it will be...

Soon after, even her musings disappear in the darkness.

* * *

Kanae Kotonami lets out a faint gasp as her eyes snap open, her body slowly, instinctively shaking off the numbness until she's able to pull herself upright. As hazy as her head feels, she quickly notices a drastic change with her surroundings. Gone were the bright lights and the cameras and the fans and the hosts at the TBM studio, and in its place, her bed and pillows, her personal effects, the cool breeze from the air-conditioning and total darkness of her bedroom. "So it was all just a dream, huh..." Kanae wasn't sure whether she'd be relieved that the roller-coaster ride was over, or incredibly pissed off that she had to embark on it at all. Seeing no point deciding which is which, she groggily reaches for her phone to check the time. "Oh, hell..." It was a little past four in the morning. Two hours short of a six-hour slumber. Two hours deprived from her by a reason as childish as a bad dream. It can only be a sign of a grueling day ahead. As if her regular days aren't grueling enough, what with her regular acting role, her mind-boggling responsibilities as LoveMe member #2, as well as the "extra" roles she does for additional income and exposure...

Figuring that forcing the remaining hours on her body and risking the chance of oversleeping and having an encore of that dream won't do her any better than starting her day earlier than what she had hoped for when she turned in, she opts for the latter, swearing to herself that she'd go straight home after finishing tasks at the LME offices. If she doesn't want her dream to become reality, she has to earn more points than Amamiya today, even if at the expense of her pride. Other than that, she only has one gig set for today – an short interview and photoshoot with the cast of Miyako Minamori for a magazine feature at 8:30 AM. This way, she could try to get to the set earlier than everyone else and make a good impression. Punctuality is always a plus for talent who wants to scale the ladder to stardom. As she slowly regains her consciousness however, she suddenly realizes that it might not be such a good idea. Normally it is, but not today...

Not on March 14th - a day as bad as last month's "Vain Day", as Kyoko would fondly refer to it. "I wonder what she'd call today's occasion?" Maybe she'd be more amused trying to find a word that replaces "White" perfectly if she spent her Vain Day in complete apathy like she used to every year in spite of President Takarada's wishes. But she didn't, and now she must endure its backlash.

Now completely awake, Kanae could vividly picture how the next scene will go: if she got there early, people would think she's too excited to see Hiou Uesugi, the boy who received her "assortment of firsts", hoping for him to respond to her... Her feelings with a poisonous bar of chocolate. "...Maybe I should just call in sick," she considered. She's playing a minor role anyway, so she probably won't be missed. Then again, putting aside two facts - that it goes against her principles and that the fee for the feature has already been paid for, not showing up would only make her even more laughable to the eyes of her co-workers, maybe even Hiou-kun's as well. She'll be digging her own grave either way... "What kind of idiot thought about this custom of returning chocolates on Marth 14th in the first place?! It's more spiting than it is flattering, giving girls something that would make them fat!" Kanae vents out, her hand frustratedly scrambling through her still-disheveled locks.

After a few seconds' silence, the raven-haired actress takes a deep breath and reminds herself one important thing: that she gave Hiou-kun those chocolates because she **respects** him. A lot. Definitely not on the same league as Kyoko's admiration for her Tsuruga-senpai – if asked, Kanae would say that that boat has sailed off to the sea a long time ago, with the great Ren Tsuruga saddling it – but its definitely on the same pedestal as what she has developed for Kyoko as an actress after all they've been through as members of the LoveMe section, though unlike Hiou, Kanae wouldn't tell her any of that... Unless she's ready to die in horror and shame of being glomped all day. Compared to that, a gloomy Kyoko is much more tolerable.

It didn't cross her mind then that a part of her dream would actually come true sooner than she imagined... She was a little too preoccupied with the possible repercussions of her own Vain Day incident to think that something like it could happen to Kyoko today.

But more than the murmurs and the open ridicule she's probably gonna get from her co-stars and their crew, she's actually more worried about the possibility of Hiou-kun not showing up because of how that cursed day turned out to be. She did shove her respect chocolates into him, almost literally at that, and she's not the only stooge in this running gag after all (though she has it a bit worse than him). He seemed alright when they exchanged texts last night though, like nothing awkward happened at all. Mostly rants about how much of a pain some of their co-workers are... Well, she wouldn't deny sending him a few ice-breakers like "how's work" and "are you home now?" or messages of concern like "go to bed" since there's irrefutable records of it. Nothing she hasn't asked or said to him before...

...Okay, so they are texting and mailing each other, on top of having lunch together frequently and hanging out during breaks. Big deal. Its not like they ever talk about personal or dangerous topics, or worse, do anything of the sort, and there's enough evidence of that to shut up those who think otherwise. To Hell with that moron whose name didn't deserve to be remembered at all and the narrow-minded people who has grown fond of calling her a pedophile since Vain Day. "That's right. Whoever I gave those chocolates to and whatever my reason for giving it is... Its nobody else's business but mine. I don't care what anyone else thinks about it," Kanae rehearses in her mind. If there's an exception to that, its just Kyoko, only because she's the one who taught her how to make homemade chocolate and she clearly understands the chocolates' purpose. "And honestly, I don't care if he returns it or not... Besides, he's probably not going to do anything about it anyway... Seeing how I forced the chocolate on him..."

President Lory's threat - at least the one in her dream - suddenly comes to mind...

"Fine. Lets pretend Hiou-kun's actually going to give me anything today... And that I actually care about getting anything," she begins to ponder, her thoughts drifting to it almost fluidly. After all, the president is more than capable of giving an ultimatum like that in real life. "...If I gave him those chocolates out of respect... Does that mean... He respects my abilities as an actress too?" Kanae lets the thought sit on a comfortable lounge seat in her brain for a while.

Only the huffing of the AC was heard over the next half-minute. "But if that's the case... It's not thrice the worth of what I gave him... It'll just make things even..."

Eventually, the mental seat's forelegs snap, unable to hold the thought's sheer weight. "Mou! The longer I stay with LME, the faster I'll lose my sanity!" Kanae snaps, messing her hair even more, this time with both hands. Giving up trying to find that elusive silver lining in her predicament, she storms off her bed and into the showers. If she's going to dig her own grave today, might as well do it professionally, starting with being on time.

"Expecting something in return for chocolate... Its just... Embarrassing..."

* * *

Chapter End.

Additional notes: A _dokkiri_, in Japan, is a hidden camera prank show. As for why the dream ended like that, I wanted to do a more natural dream response compared to the usual reaction in fictional stories. This chapter is basically a prologue. I'll try to update this as soon as I can, but it'll probably take some time, as new as I am to this fandom. Anyway, thanks for reading and hope to see you next time!


	2. A Risk Almost Taken

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any copyrights mentioned in this story.

Notes: First of all, to those who have read the first part and are reading this now, thank you so much for at least giving this story another shot despite the aforementioned warning of Kyoko not being in this outside of Kanae's introspection. I could only hope this is coming out decently at least, as I'm still in the middle of exploring this world.

Second, I'm not really sure if Matsuda is indeed Hiou's manager (the woman who's always walking behind him and Kanae), so if I'm wrong, kindly notify me.

* * *

For the first and most likely the only time in her life, Kanae was grateful to the everyday crowd at Tokyo Station for keeping her from getting to the location too early. She got to the station platform at around seven, but couldn't board the train until ten minutes later. It would have been better if she didn't have to jostle with them while boarding and securing a seat, but for actresses like her who don't have a manager driving her around (unlike Chiori, though having a manager nagging her all the time would probably be as much trouble as not having one) and can only get small parts in dramas (unlike Kyoko, though some people still couldn't believe she's actually Mio and Natsu unless they see her with her co-stars or directors), its a reminder that she's still bound to the world outside all the glitz and the glamour. That she still has to put a lot of work into fortifying her foundation, especially when the new soda commercial started airing and eroded her previous efforts.

The commute to Tokyo Skytree (the location for the shoot) took about thirty minutes, leaving her with enough time to get dressed and get some make-up done while resting. The theme for the photoshoot isn't very extravagant, needing only minimal make-up – business casual attire on a panoramic backdrop at one of the highest peaks in Japan. The interview, on the other hand, will be held at a restaurant in the lower observation deck over breakfast, and will be done by a very reputable reporter for her regular column in an entertainment magazine.

When Kanae got to the lower observation deck where the first half will be shot, some of her co-stars including the leads were already there and in their outfits, but there was no sign of Hiou or his manager anywhere on the set. Trying not to look as if she's particularly looking for him, she quickly greets both the photographer and the reporter as soon as she spotted them before changing into one of the outfits she brought at the restroom - a violet one-button slim blazer, a burgundy button-down blouse, a pair of black skinny jeans - the type that can be worn with almost anything, and a pair of black leather pumps. She accessorizes the get-up with a conservative set of silver jewelry, nothing too expensive but looks the part anyway.

Once she was done, she lounged on a chair provided for the cast while waiting for her turn at the make-up booth. She never really mingled with her co-stars save Hiou. Part of it was because they don't impress her as much as Hiou does. Another, because she was never the sociable type to begin with. And another, because they shy away from her just the same, most especially after she was branded a cradle-snatcher who is trying to break into the industry by entering a controversial relationship, with a second-generation actor no less. _"They're no different from the starlets at LME __who think we __at LoveMe a__re __nothing but __k__iss-ups__. __I swear, I will make these people bow before me __like __those trainees __did __once I get my first starring role.__" _She didn't need them to say it to her outright for her to know its their impression of her.

Still, watching them chat leisurely while waiting for the others, there's this hidden part inside Kanae that couldn't resist yearning for the feeling she had when she filmed the soda commercial with Kyoko, Director Kurosaki and the rest of the crew, though most of the fun that time was driven by the elation from finally defeating Erika Kouenji in a fair audition and having a chance at the limelight without the fear of it getting sabotaged by the heiress.

She then remembered the off-cam photos Kyoko showed her after making chocolates on that cursed day, particularly those taken on the set of Dark Moon, a mixed bag of behind-the-scenes and candid shots. Almost every picture explained the show's utter success like a bundle of essays. Not only is everyone passionate about filming, but each of them, from the actors, to the director, even to the staff, seemed like they really enjoyed working with one another no matter how big their roles are. There was no trace of bad blood brewing in each of their faces at all. Kyoko, for one, was quite chummy with that Itsumi Momose: they were often seen side by side on the photos, talking, smiling like they were the closest friends in the industry. Kanae found those the most irritating to look at. Then again, just who was she to feel irritated at the sight of Kyoko being friendly with someone else if the other person means well anyway?

_"I wonder how its going to be when I finally land a role in a project she's also a part of,"_ Kanae tries to imagine. As if to answer her question, a clip of Kyoko babbling about how she used their "beautiful friendship" as inspiration to grasp her role in Sho Fuwa's PV is replayed in her head. _"...__Okay. Its probably gonna be much worse than her __glomping me__ all day. Let's leave it at that."_ She couldn't help but blush a little thinking about Kyoko endorsing her as her one and only best friend to everyone. Not that she regrets being Kyoko's first real female friend.

If there's one thing she regrets doing though, albeit unconsciously, it's showing this moment of weakness to the one person involved in this production she absolutely wants nothing to do with.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here? I know! Lady pedo daydreaming about her midget prince!" the sorry excuse for a musician-slash-ham actor whose name Kanae never bothers remembering makes his presence known in the worst way: by getting under her skin. "You're probably thinking, 'will he give me chocolates today? will he return the love I gave him on Valentine's Day? oh, I feel so young again'," he says under this mocking female voice before bursting into laughter. "Wow! I can easily read your mind, its like I'm a psychic!"

"Great. Just when I was already starting to forget about White Day, this moron shows up," Kanae mutters, sinking her face into her palms. Now she's sure her face is red. Red with fury, that is. To misinterpret her so horribly, he really is one of the biggest idiots she's ever met in her life. And she thought he'd become a lot less annoying after doing what she did to him when he insulted Hiou... But no. Idiots like him never learn. Trying to level with him, or worse, talking sense to him will always be as much of a wasted effort as when she was constantly rejecting his advances. Hiou was right when he said she shouldn't be talking to people like him in the first place. They get their kicks sucking everyone's patience dry as soon as they sink their teeth on it.

_"__No. I'm not going to take your bait anymore,"_ her will reinforces. She will just sit still and wait patiently for make-up to finally call her, or maybe the photographer or any one of her co-stars to steal her, or his attention away. No matter how much she wants to do it, she won't bash him with the chair she's sitting on. Not even a menacing glare, since he takes it as her version of a fond look.

"What's the matter? Where's that whip of love you used to use again me, huh?" Still, it is tough to ignore morons who insistently get in your face. Especially when you're still cranky from a preempted slumber and still weary from having to stay alert (in that condition) inside the train with a topsy-turvy bunch. "A-ha! Don't tell me this kitty cat loses her bite during mating season!" As he said it, the obnoxious musician-actor did his usual finger-gun gesture that never fails to test Kanae's patience to the limit.

_"Maybe I should ask __that Maria__ if she has__ one of those finger-crunching vices the Europeans used to use on suspected witches,"_ Kanae pondered, using all her will to try to fend off his existence. But the temptation of breaking this guy's index fingers for real keeps getting stronger and stronger by the second.

"Oh, my bad. You're not a kitty cat anymore... Though you still like playing with cubs!" He was the one laughing at his jokes now. Even Fujino, the reporter who was having her coffee at a nearby chair, as well as the other female stars were starting to get pissed off. Not only was he being too loud, he has also breached a major taboo by making fun of her age.

"Really! I can't believe you'd rather go out with him than me! To think he's not even half the man or the artist I am! Literally!"

It was all he needed to say to cut the last thread...

_"That's it. You've crossed the line." _Incredibly-irate, Kanae stands up and picks up the chair she was sitting on, but before she could do anything with it, two of the lighting crew lifts the ham actor off the floor.

"W-what's the meaning of this?! Put me down!" he tries to break free, but his arms seemed like that of a child's compared to the biceps that wrap around it. "Put me down or I'll-!"

Before the singer-actor could even come up with some form of threat, Fujino empties her disposable cup, gets up and approaches them. "Oh. Didn't your handler inform you that we're not including you in this feature anymore? I thought I let him know personally last night," she explains. "Instead, we agreed on publishing a write-up for your upcoming album. They said you needed more publicity for that than your role in this drama."

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you do both!" he demanded, looking all angered and embarrassed at the same time. "I'm sure I did a better job on this show than some second-generation actor and his pedophile girlfriend!"

The reporter shakes her head, a smirk on her face telling just how silly this situation is getting. "Fine, I'll tell you," Fujino starts, clearing her throat to let him know she's gonna be all-business now. "Based on public feedback... Let's just say they strongly believe that acting isn't for you and you should focus more on your music while you still can. According to recent tallies, your last single earned pocket change compared to Sho Fuwa's latest chart-topper. Even your agency thinks you need to stop insisting on crossing over and put something good out soon or else you'll get lost in the shuffle. Believe me, we're really doing you a favor here."

Hearing this, Kanae seals her lips for dear life. _"Basically, she said __she__ won't interview you because you suck __at acting__."_ If Hiou or Kyoko were here with her, she probably wouldn't be able to resist cackling mad.

His ego still deflecting anything that doesn't please it, the underachieving singer-actor takes one last shot, at someone who wasn't even around no less. "That spoiled brat Uesugi did this, didn't he?! He pulled some weight with his mommy and daddy's name just so he can hog the spotlight!

"What a rude thing to say! Hiou-kun's not even going to be here today!" Fujino chided, furious. "Boys, take him away before I start writing some dirt about him on my blog." She and Kanae watched on as the lighting crew evicted the singer-actor from the set, his resistance, both verbal and physical, getting him nowhere but on the nerves of his "escorts". "And I seriously thought he was going to be successful like Sho Fuwa or Vie Ghoul are today five years ago. I guess fame got to his head a little too soon." After a deep sigh, the reporter wheels around to check on Kanae. "You okay, Kotonami-san?"

"Yes, but," the long-haired actress hesitates at first, but goes ahead with it eventually, "...Is Hiou-kun...?"

"About that, Uesugi-kun's manager called last night to say they can't make it because he seemed too burned out when they got home from his shoot last night."

"R-really?" Kanae couldn't hide being surprised and worried. After all, she was exchanging messages with him just last night, and he said nothing about feeling tired nor showed any signs of it based on how fast he replied to her.

"You know how back-breaking this industry is, especially for someone as young as he is. If you're not paying close attention to your health, eventually, stress takes its toll on your body until it gets to a point where its no longer a question of whether you're professional enough to still go to work if you become ill or not."

"That's true..." Kyoko's tirade about a sick Ren during her substitute manager task comes to the actress's mind, but it didn't do much to ease her concern for the younger Hiou. _"I guess I'll just call Matsuda-san later when I get to the LME building..." _For a second though, she was worried that Hiou has decided to avoid her today on purpose, but after hearing the journalist's explanation, she passes it off as merely overthinking things due to lack of sleep. "In any case, thanks for taking care of that idiot, Fujino-san," she changes topics, belying her true sentiments with a grateful smile.

"Don't mention it, the reporter says back. "I'm just sticking out for cougars like myself."

"Cougar?"

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, but only if you'd put that chair down."

Realizing that all this time, she's been holding up the chair, Kanae quickly returns it in its former place before following Fujino to her seat. She was never really interested with random people's stories, but this one she felt compelled to listen to.

As soon as they were settled, the reporter begins in a low voice. "Only my co-workers and a few friends in the industry know about this, but I'm actually getting married to my _kohai_ this June. He's just 28, but I'm turning 40 next month. Scandalous, isn't it? Especially for someone who writes scandals about celebrities for a living."

"I don't think its that scandalous, but..." Kanae looks cynically at the reporter. "Are you sure he's not hooking up with you because he's after your money or your position in the magazine?"

"Of course," Fujino replies candidly, taking no offense. "We've been in a relationship for two years now, but we've been working together for five. He had a steady girlfriend the first three, but they split up eventually. That's where I came in, as a big sister-type who lent him a shoulder to lean on. You can say our relationship slowly worked its way from there. Besides, there's not much money going around in our line of work, that's why some of us resort to blackmail. I've saved up quite a bit after all these years, sure, but it won't get him anywhere."

"Weren't you bothered by your age difference at all?"

"No, never. I not really sure why... But I've always seen him as a man, not someone who's at least ten years my junior. Probably because of his impeccable work ethic. I may sound like a doting fiancée by saying this, but he's as enthusiastic with his work now as he was five years ago when he was still starting out. Totally unlike some singer we know." The reporter and the actress share a laugh as they recall the idiot singer-actor's flustered face when he was told to get lost. "But yes, he's the 'often the first one to arrive at the office, often the last one to leave' type. I guess its one of those qualities that make age seem just like any number out there."

"Right," Kanae reluctantly agreed, not because she really has an issue with this sort of relationship - they can do whatever they please for all she cared, but its how the reporter perceived her fiancé during their first meeting that baffled her. _"I never really saw him as any other boy either. I regarded him like I did all my other co-stars back when we first worked together, __believin__g __its how professionals should act.__..."_

"Are you alright, Kotonami-san?" Fujino asks, waving her hand across Kanae's eyes.

"Y-yes... I'm just a little worn from the trip," she excused with a meek smile evoked by her reflexes and mock expressions. Before Fujino could read through it though, the make-up artist finally calls Kanae over for her turn at the booth. "Now if you'll excuse me, Fujino-san," the actress said as she hurriedly got up, bowing gratefully at the reporter for both the favor and the confidence. As she was about to mark her first step towards the booth, Kanae wheels back and adds, "Oh... About what he said-"

"Let me guess. You want to ask me not to write or ask about whatever relationship you have with Hiou-kun later, right?"

She says nothing. But the veteran journalist takes it as an answer in itself.

"Don't worry. I try not to write anything conclusive without solid proof because I know its gonna bite me somewhere down the line. I must say though... I was pretty impressed with the way you kept yourself in check when that guy was insulting you."

Kanae lets out an annoyed grunt. "When it comes to that idiot, I'd rather save my breath! No matter what I or anybody else tell him, nothing gets through his thick head!"

"I guess you're right about that... Still, you should also consider yourself lucky I'm the one doing this article. If another reporter saw you trying to swing for the fences with a chair because someone insulted Uesugi-kun, they won't let you off the hook so easily even if you're the one being harassed"

The advice agitated a sensitive spot inside the actress's head, forcing her to stop for a moment to ask herself. She was no stranger to this form of self-doubt, having heard Erika point it out when she defended Kyoko against her self-professed rival's disparaging comments. But the circumstances were different then. That time, there were no reporters or cameramen who could make a record of the incident. That time, she wasn't a legitimate professional who needs to be careful of what she does at all times especially in the public eye, and neither was the person she defended. Even if word got out about her argument with the heiress, people will think of it as just another catfight between former classmates, or one that began because one ridiculed the other's colleague, and forget about it sooner than later.

But just now, she rolled the dice yet again, much like she did last month but this time under the presence of other celebrities, a reporter and a cameraman, staking her reputation as an actress to protect Hiou-kun's name from that moron musician-wannabe actor who wouldn't recognize what real acting is even if every icon in every facet of the industry lectured him about it, and yet she hasn't a single clue why she's so willing to go this far. Moreover, she doesn't have the slightest bit of confidence to look for those clues.

All she was certain of is that the old her wouldn't bother with any of this nonsense and just keep to herself like she used to. But then, she wouldn't be here if that person remained. She probably wouldn't even meet Hiou at all...

"You better hurry if you want them to do a good job hiding those dark circles under your eyes, Kotonami-san," Fujino reminds her in jest.

"Y-yes of course. Anyway, thanks again," Kanae said in reflex, bowing curtly before rushing off to the make-up booth.

Fujino's right. With a photoshoot and interview at hand, she can't let herself get distracted by... meaningless musings like such. Above all else, she's still a professional who aspires to be the best, and no matter how many changes she undergo as a person, that goal is and will always be the constant. Once she's fulfilled her duties for in this particular commitment, she can ask her heart out. Or better, ask someone who might have more experience in this kind of situation than she does. Not that there's anybody else she can confide to about this matter anyway. _"I'll just ask her later __when I see her__..." _But she thinks better of it after a couple of seconds, imagining her cursed friend's potential reaction. _"...No. I don't think that's gonna be a good idea either. __Knowing her, she'd definitely make a big deal out of it like always... Saying that I shouldn't be thinking of things like this..."_

* * *

Both the photoshoot and the interview went off without a hitch. The shoot wasn't a one-take each affair, but since the theme was quite easy, none of them made any trying mistakes, and they were able to move to the higher observation deck ahead of time. For the interview, everyone other than Kanae seemed in a good mood and more than willing to answer anything, but Fujino kept her line of questioning solely-related to the show as it should be for a feature article, barring a few candid ones needed to make it livelier. Being a minor character, Kanae only needed to answer three simple questions: her experience in working for this project so far, how a newcomer like her feels working with the leads and the veterans in the show, and her opinion about the character she's portraying. Breakfast tasted great, but was barely filling.

At around 10:30 AM, while taking the elevator down to the ground floor, Kanae found a mail from Kyoko, sent over an hour ago while she was in the middle of the shoot, saying "help me, Moko-san. The president is going to execute me today". By now, she's used to getting messages like this from the typically-overreacting girl", but after her dream, she felt that this might actually be as serious as it sounds. _"Guess I'll have to hear her out later instead of dumping my problems on her." _She didn't bother changing out of her earlier attire (since they were her own clothes anyway) and went straight for the LME offices.

LoveMe member #2 got to LME's lobby a quarter past eleven. Just about the time employees start to dump their workload to them LoveMe members while they have lunch. And as if to prove that, someone was already waiting to give her a task as soon as she stepped in. "Oh, perfect timing, Kotonami-kun!" Supervisor Sawara, who was standing by the reception counter and apparently on the phone, beckons her to approach.

"Can you at least wait until I get changed?" Kanae retorted, holding up her bag for emphasis. Almost a year since it was established, a lot of employees and talents at LME still think of the LoveMe section as a section for chambermaids and handymen and the like. Sawara isn't one of them, being one of LoveMe's conspirators and all. That assurance didn't lessen her annoyance though.

"That's no good, Kotonami-kun. I don't know if she told you this, but Mogami-kun got her first job as member of the LoveMe section as soon as she arrived. She didn't even know LoveMe was created for talents like you two then." The Talent section head glances over his watch to stress the task's urgency. "Look, all you have to do is wait for this call to connect and give the details on my behalf since I really have to get back to my desk soon to get some contracts ready for immediate signing, but I'm willing to overlook your attitude just now and give you full marks for it."

"Fine, fine. What's the call for anyway?" she inquired, left with no choice but to accept. She has to outscore Chiori today after all, and there's no better way to start that than with a hundred easy points."

"Its for a vet." But before Sawara could disclose the emergency's specifics...

"Wait. Can't you just make the call from your office?" Kanae interrupted, her expression skeptical like she's about to change her mind.

"I could, but I can't possibly leave Sayo-chan alone while I go all the way up to my office to get my phone and make the call, that's why I'm using the reception's phone. And I have to wait for them to pick Sayo-chan up too. President's orders," Sawara explained sheepishly.

"Sayo-chan?"

Sawara directs Kanae over to a box-like object by the elevator, covered by gray cloth.

_"Hmmm... Its too small to be a cage for the camel... And judging from the hollow parts, its not an aquarium for the anaconda either...," _she tried to guess what's inside. Knowing the president, it could be anything. _"Hmph... Whatever this is, its probably not gonna be as bad as the anaconda. What else could be scarier than that?"_

Without hesitation, the ever-confident actress walks over to the cage and pulls the cloth away...

"KYAAAAAAAHHH!" she shrieked, losing her footing and recoiling at least three meters back. "W-WHAT IS A LEOPARD DOING IN AN URBAN BUILDING LIKE THIS?!"

"Uhh... It's not a leopard, Kotonami-san. It's a cougar," Sawara corrected. About a second later, he found himself being grabbed by the collar of his shirt.

"What the hell did you just call me?" the cynical actress asked gravely, emitting a dark, murderous aura.

"N-n-n-no. I meant, Sayo-chan... N-not you," he said fearfully, a feeling he's gotten somewhat accustomed to after several run-ins with Kyoko. "D-don't worry, she won't bite."

"Oh... Is that so?" Kanae releases Sawara from her grasp and wheels around to assess the sick feline. She didn't apologize for the misunderstanding.

"Believe it or not, that's actually the problem," Sawara says while fixing his tie. "According to the president's secretary, she hasn't been eating properly the past couple of days. The president's worried that she might've eaten something bad while noone was looking. It would've been easier if it were a normal Husky or Siamese cat, but since its not the case, we need this special vet that regularly tends to the president's pets... Thing is, the line wouldn't connect at all."

"Alright... I'll figure the rest out." Kanae hands over her booklet for her 100-point stamp while she puts the cloth back on before the cougar's presence makes an unnecessary ruckus. It looks ill alright, but its still an animal that should be in the zoo if not the wilderness.

Soon after, she took both the booklet and the phone from Sawara, redialing the number he gave. He was right. The line was indeed busy, the answering machine repeatedly asking her to call back and not offering to take messages. She tried to imagine what kind of patients this veterinarian's taking care of, enough to occupy him like this, but gave up as soon as dolphins, bears, elephants and others came to mind. After a couple more tries, it still won't connect, and Kanae was beginning to lose it. "C'mon... Pick up...," she muttered, her index finger impatiently drumming the counter's surface.

She wouldn't be so bored for long though, as two familiar voices emerge from the entrance, effectively drawing her attention.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine by yourself? This building looks too big for-Owww!"

"Would you please stop that? You're starting to sound like our maid back home."

"B-but-"

"With this many people here, its impossible for me to get lost. Besides, they requested for me to go in alone. I'll text you when we're done."

"Okay, but promise me that you'll text if something happens."

"Fine. Whatever makes you leave sooner, Matsuda..."

Kanae tries to peer over her shoulder to confirm her suspicion, but the rest of her body was resisting, as if to say she's already right and there was no need to risk exposing herself by showing part of her face. _"What is he doing here of all places?! He's supposed to be resting at home, dammit!"_

The receptionists just had to rub it in...

"Hey, isn't that Hiou Uesugi-kun? He looks even cuter in person," the one on the right said, squealing like a fangirl.

"Isn't he on the show you're currently on?" the one on the left asked Kanae, but got no answer from the actress.

She wasn't prepared for this. There was no way she could have seen this coming. She might have handled things better if he just came to the shoot, since he's not really sick after all. _"And here I was, worrying over nothing..." _Part of her was itching to scold Hiou for lying to her and everyone else and being unprofessional. But it was easily dominated by the part that couldn't even bear to face him, scared of the possibility that he'd find out what she actually does at LME...

_"If he finds out that I wear gaudy pink overalls all day, doing odd jobs and practically asking everyone in this building to "love me", he'll lose whatever respect he has towards me..." _

"Oh, look! He's coming this way!" one of the receptionist's said in glee. But Kanae was gone before he could even turn towards the counter.

"Excuse me, I have an appointment with Lory Takarada-san," Hiou said to the receptionists, giving his name in whisper shortly after. Good thing he was still shorter than the counter; he couldn't see Kanae hiding behind it and between the receptionists's chairs, still holding the phone. Things happened so fast that the receptionists didn't have time to react to the actress's unexpected move before they had to answer the younger actor's inquiry.

_"Please don't connect yet... Please don't connect yet...," _Kanae wished over and over. _"...Don't connect until he leaves."_

"The president?" The receptionist on the right quickly checks the appointment list and if the president's available. "Yes, he's here, but he's still in the middle of an important meeting as we speak."

"Oh! I almost forgot. His secretary left this for you earlier," the one on the left added, giving Hiou a scribbled note. "He said you could wait there or ask one of the girls to tour you around the building."

Hiou glances through the note for a moment. "Huh? What's this LoveMe section for anyway? And what's with the stupid name?"

"Err... I think you should ask the president that. Or maybe one of the girls. They'll give you a better explanation."

Without another word, Hiou walks off and onto the elevator, looking suspiciously at the cougar's cage while waiting for the lift but refraining from touching it. When it arrived, Kanae heard him mention the floor where the LoveMe section's locker is to the operator as soon as he boarded. _"The note probably has directions in it," _she guessed. Luckily, the vet finally picked up as the elevator closed. At least Hiou wouldn't chance upon her there. Kanae repeated everything Sawara mentioned earlier, and after conferring for a couple of minutes, the vet told her that an ambulance will pick Sayo-chan up immediately.

After the phonecall, Kanae's mind goes on a fritz. She's not really surprised that President Takarada's influence could affect even talents that aren't under LME, but for him to specifically ask Hiou to come over... _"It couldn't possibly be about... About today... Could it?"_

And then she remembered her answer when the eccentric president asked her and Kyoko about those cursed Vain Day chocolates...

_"Oh crap... If I'd known he'd piece it together easily, I should've just said 'guy' instead of 'boy'..."_

After that, a resigning sigh and a slap in her own forehead.

_"I really hate this day... No... This day really hates me..."_

* * *

Chapter End.


	3. An Ultimatum Laid Down

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any copyrights mentioned in this story.

Notes: A shorter update for now as ideas got jumbled in my head at the moment, which is probably going to take some time to sort out, enough to delay the next update a little. Anyway, thanks a lot for reading and reviewing the previous chapter and I hope I don't disappoint so much with this.

* * *

"Good morning!" a cheerful Chiori Amamiya puts down her chopsticks to greet Kanae the moment she burst into the room that is basically all of the LoveMe section. That time, she was engrossed in watching another film for another set of reviews. Beside her were stacks of notebooks and DVD cases as well as the three-layer bento and metal bottle she's enjoying.

As always, Kanae gave no response and went straight for the lockers, but not without locking their door first. Sheets of torn, crumpled paper rustled on the edge of her feet with the sudden shift of air. She didn't need to pick one up to know they are Chiori's infamous notes. _"Between these and that airhead's dolls, they sure know how to relieve stress..." _The sudden thought of her cursed friend reevoked the foreboding feeling she had when she read her earlier text. "Has she arrived yet?" Kanae asked while changing into her uniform.

"Kyoko-san? Yep, but she said she's just stopping by to talk to the president about something important before heading to today's Box R shoot. I doubt she's gonna come back here after the meeting," Chiori answered. They won't be shooting any scenes for Yumika until tomorrow, hence her presence.

_"There's nothing new about President Takarada summoning her to his office, but why did she say he's going to kill her? Did she mess up during her last assignment from him?" _But all Kanae said was, "I see." As much as she wanted to care about what's bugging her friend, she has her own problems to worry about. Scratch that. One big, big problem, in a packaging that's... a bit smaller than the standard, no innuendos intended. And it will only get worse from hereon now that the president knows about it – Kanae can only speculate, but why else would he invite Hiou and give him specific directions to go to this very room while he's talking to Kyoko anyway? Other than to humiliate her, she didn't have any other ideas. _"Calm down... No reason to panic yet... LME's big enough for people to miss each other... And with the piece of paper he was given earlier, I bet he's been here already..." _Waiting for the ambulance to pick Sayo-chan up took about fifteen minutes, while rebriefing the vet of the cougar's condition and observing them load her in lasted another five. Within those twenty minutes, he would've come and gone already without bothering Chiori about the tour. But Kanae chooses not to ask. Her colleague might color it the wrong way like everyone else has, that is, everyone who isn't Kyoko, who has practically washed off that hue from her palette.

_"That's right. All I have to do is run errands in places he wouldn't be interested in." F_inally finished changing, and on deciding what to do, LoveMe member #2 is ready to report for duty, but before she could venture towards the door, Chiori stops her with a question.

"Umm... If you don't mind me asking," she began slowly, blinking innocently at Kanae. "What's with the bandana and big glasses?"

"W-what's wrong with wearing them? I need to protect my eyes and my hair in case someone asks me to get something from those dusty storage rooms, or worse, organize it," she explained, followed by some dry laughter. She quickly draws Chiori's attention away from her disguise, the same disguise she had on the first time she donned the degrading pink outfit, by asking about her meal. "More importantly, why are you eating that much anyway? Aren't you worried about gaining weight?"

"I'm actually underweight by a few pounds," she answers. "My mom said it might be due to stress, but somehow, I'm not that convinced. Do I seem awfully stressed to you?"

Kanae narrows her eyes down the mess on the floor and says, "...I don't think I'm a good judge of that."

"Oh well. Though if you ask me, I wouldn't really mind some extra fat so long as they fall on the right places."

"...Where did you get that big a bento anyway? Did your mother prepare it for you?"

"Nope. Hiou-kun gave this to me," Chiori said, picking up her chopsticks to continue her meal. "You appear in a drama with him right? You just missed him by a few minutes."

Learning this, Kanae's mood dims into an even darker shade. "Why would that... That boy give you a bento?"

"Well, he said it was supposed to be for someone else in return for a gift given to him, but he thought better of it and said that someone might not like it so he gave it to me instead. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't like it though." She gobbles up a piece of chicken in teriyaki sauce and giggles over its taste. "It's really good! And he said he asked their chef to help him prepare this!"

Chiori went on with her theories surrounding Hiou and his chef while eating, throwing a detailed compliment with each bite of a different dish, but Kanae was beside herself all the while, too distracted with her own theories and opinions to listen. _"What the hell was he thinking, trying to give me something like THAT?!" _She wasn't going to be like Kyoko who tries to stay in her land of faeries and blissful ignorance by refusing to consider this line of thinking. After all, **she** is the only person in this building who gave something to Hiou that supposedly demands a return present. _"I knew it. This stupid tradition's really meant to spite all the women who foolishly made low-quality chocolates last month by making them fat. And I allowed my arm to get twisted by the president's ultimatum... Hah! Good thing this one's here to spare me from eating all of it." _Kanae smirks, gloating over her unexpected fortune. However, her celebration was but a fleeting one.

_"I must admit though, everything on the bento looks good," _she thought, feeling a tad envious. She couldn't help it; she only had tuna tartare for breakfast that, while delicious, barely grazed her stomach. All her life, she had a perfectly-controlled appetite, honed both by ambition and poverty, but the moment she accepted Kyoko's friendship, her subconscious seems to have developed this... This voracious side that couldn't resist good food once it is served in front of her. Hiou has already seen this side of her, particularly when they went to an upper-class Japanese buffet for lunch sometime after Vain Day (only because his manager treated them. Kanae wouldn't even consider coming if it wasn't free). She wasn't sure what compelled her, whether it was the exceptional food or the stress of having to listen to the girls in the dressing room gossip about her relationship with the younger actor, but without realizing it, she already had a monster helping. "Nothing. Just wondering where you're gonna put all those," the two-faced kid (or so Matsuda-san loves to call him) said when a flustered Kanae pointed out the sly smirk he had on as he watched her. Worse thing is, she couldn't stop after that remark since there was still food on her plate and, like in other eat-all-you-can joints, leftovers will be charged double and sharing isn't allowed. That was the last time she ate real meals in front of Hiou, and she really had to amp up her exercise and diet regimen the next three days after that. _"Maybe he thought I stopped eating properly since that day..._

_"Mou! Whatever his reasons are, this is still a complete insult!" _Kanae's brows furrow, hating herself for getting caught up with this Vain Day hysteria for the first time in her life. Having no intention to torment herself with all these thoughts, or with the sight of Chiori engorging on the bento (because she didn't want to feel hungry again, why else?), she storms out of the door, but at the last second...

"Oh, before I forget," Chiori stops her before she could unlock the door, "the president left a memo for us."

Kanae wheels around. "Memo?"

"Well, its more of a video, actually. Here." With the use of a single remote, Chiori pauses the DVD she was supposed to write a review for and switches to the video message sent to their section earlier this morning. Hooray for cutting-edge LED TVs and to LME for providing them with it.

As soon as the video loaded, the LoveMe girls are confronted by the veiled countenance of President Takarada's secretary, one bracing herself from the hassle the upcoming announcement forebodes, the other, having seen it once before, averting her attention to her colleague to gauge her reaction.

Robotically imitating the president's exact words, the secretary begins, "Due to Mogami-kun's upcoming exams, she has to take a leave from some of her ongoing projects so she can concentrate on preparing for them. However, since Bo has become one of Kimagure Rock's biggest draws and is a major part of their program, they can't possibly run the show without him. So I ask the girl who gets the lowest points for today to fill in for Mogami-kun until she's finished with her exams. Best of luck earning them, Kotonami-kun, Amamiya-kun." And the screen reverts to the DVD before the video could officially close out.

"...That's about the size of it," said Chiori, surprisingly nonchalant as she takes a sip of iced tea that's in the metal bottle. This one, she brought herself.

On the other hand, Kanae was petrified with terror as her dream relapsed inside her head. Now she knows where the fat rooster fits into all this madness. Oh how she wants to chop Bo up into bits as small as the stuff between Chiori's chopsticks... Or put him on a pitchfork and roast him whole...

But no. She can't show any signs of weakness or hesitation, especially in front of her opponent. Her days of hiding in the dungeons are long gone. And since she had defeated her long-time adversary Erika, she swore never to get overwhelmed again even if the deck is stacked against her. "So? How many points do you have now?" Kanae asked, bolstering her confidence.

"Well, since I got here first, I already have lots. Look," Chiori pulls up her white pad and happily shows Kanae her tally, all of them one hundred-point markers. "This is from Matsushima-san," she points at the corresponding stamp, "this one from President Takarada's secretary courtesy of him, and this from Hiou-kun."

At the mention of the taboo name, Kanae slams her palm violently in front of Chiori, almost causing the latter to tumble off her seat. "How the hell could an outsider give you points?!"

"About that," Chiori begins as she gestures her hand to appease her LoveMe senior, "secretary-san gave me a box of stamps when he delivered the memo, said it was for our special guest. When Hiou-kun arrived and confirmed he was the guest, I gave them to him and explained the mechanics. At first, he was very confused, but when he noticed I was doing reviews, he looked at the DVDs I have here and asked if he could try giving me points."

"And? Who or what did he ask you to review?" interrogated the irate actress like an inspector in a detective drama.

"It's this one here." Chiori fetches said DVD case. "He asked if I can make any reviews for XX, the singer who plays a small part in it. I don't really remember how it goes, but he put out a number one song a few years ago. Seriously though, these singers..." She takes a deep breath, and suddenly... **"Just because they do a little acting for their MVs, they think acting for dramas is gonna be a walk in the park! Especially one-hit wonders like him who cross over because they can't put out anything good anymore! They all remind me of Michika Kawagoe!"**

Stunned by the poisonous aura perfusing the room, Kanae reluctantly asks, "What did you write then?"

"Umm... I don't really remember, but," Returning to an agreeable mood, Chiori points at the mess around their feet. "Its somewhere in there. Honestly, I still don't understand what I really did, but I was so happy when I found out he gave me a hundred points. And on top of that, he gave me the bento too. I swear, he's a really sweet kid!"

_"Yeah, right... You should see him on set..."_ Kanae is now officially livid. Livid, because she could've written "better reviews" about the stupid ham actor who put this hex on her. Livid, because her day keeps getting better and better by the hour. Livid, because she's two hundred points behind Chiori as of now. Livid, because Chiori's getting... Things she's not supposed to have... "Ah well... Time to rack up more points..." She needed to get the hell out of this room before she started swinging around with a chair again...

But Chiori just had to stop her and rub it in her face. "How about you? How much do you have so far?"

"Just a hundred. Got it from Sawara-san as soon as I arrived," Kanae said as she starts for the exit again, putting bitter emphasis on the phrase "as soon as I arrived".

"Hmm..." Chiori smirks evilly. "I guess you have your work cut out for you." While she has a bit of issue with the idea of acting all goofy in front of the camera again, she can imagine that Kyoko must have hated the role before and yet she still thrived in it, enough to make her the regular mascot. And unlike before, she no longer has any issues following her footsteps if it will help her regain her long-lost love for acting as well as enough experience to be a versatile actress. What she really tries to avoid, however, is having to pull her hair up so she could put Bo's head on, or worse, give someone a chance to do it.

Not another word out of her lips since she had stapled them together to prevent things from being said, Kanae slams the door behind her back as if wanting to tear it off its hinges.

"Gee... What's eating her lunch?" LoveMe member #3 asked herself, but soon forgot all about it after a bite of glazed pumpkin.

Stomping along the hallway, Kanae desperately wished for every employee to pass all their paperwork on her so she'd be stuck in the offices all day, and give her a hundred points each right off the bat for volunteering. Now even her self-respect is at stake, if Hiou's respect towards her wasn't enough. She had reached a point where she actually wondered what wrong had she done to deserve a day like this, whether its her insulting remarks about Vai... Valentine's Day, her rude way of giving the chocolates to Hiou, her refusal to expect something in return or all of the above.

She hasn't gone that far from LoveMe section's room when somebody called her a couple of meters behind.

"Hey..."

Kanae kept walking straight ahead. She knew exactly whose cheeky boyish voice it was, that's why she ignored it. Hearing it usually makes her feel relieved... Even glad... But not today. His were the points she can't possibly take, lest her plans will be for naught.

"Hey, LoveMe girl..."

She stopped as soon as she heard his footsteps creeping behind her. At this point, she's doomed far beyond any form of salvation.

"Can you give me a tour of the building? I really don't know where else to start after visiting your room."

Showing no hesitation, Kanae turns to face Hiou and, in her best impression of Kyoko Mogami's voice, she says, "Oh, sure! I'd be happy to!" Good thing she still carries her bandanna and glasses in her beltbag to save her from utter humiliation.

* * *

Chapter End.


	4. A Prince and A Pretender

Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or any copyrights mentioned in this story.

Notes: Thank you so much to the ones who have reviewed the previous chapters! Someone as new to this franchise as I am probably would be lost and unable to continue without your continued support and encouragement.

I'm sure some of you (will) notice similarities between what Kanae's going through in this piece and Kyoko's experiences on the original story. I figured that since she's an introspective sort of character and she and Kyoko are supposed to be two of a kind, having her go through similar trials will help draw out those spurts of compassion out of her while adding another element to this one. As for Hiou, I'm pretty much improvising about his background based on what I know about show business. Seriously though, I wish the manga would give the supporting cast more screen time in the main continuity (it's a character-driven franchise, I know), to give them a little more background since a number of them if not all are interesting in their own regard, and to provide a little more variety to the story as well.

I understand that some of you still find this pair awkward. But before anyone questions my decision not to turn the clock or anything, I suggest you recheck the story's label and content. I believe I've written this accordingly to my specifications thus far. Also, I've written for fandoms with situations like this before and honestly, I don't see anything wrong with them at all granted that the interpretation is appropriate.

* * *

"This is ridiculous..." Kanae had known ever since she pulled the knot on her bandanna. And yet here she is, convincing herself that it's not that ridiculous if it'll save her name from being stained in neon pink shame. In the world of show business, actors who can immerse themselves into a role so deeply they could actually bring their character to life and convince the people who know them closely that this is an entirely different person are by all means legendary. By legendary, meaning it is both an unconfirmed fact and a misleading fable. These days, it's even harder to tell whether these yetis actually exist, with all the fly-by-night talent out there who show flashes of brilliance in auditions and rehearsals but fail to deliver once their fifteen minutes is up. However, it seems President Takarada has hauled himself a pair to add to his collection of oddities and rarities, one of them the pioneer of this accursed LoveMe section. Kanae was convinced of this after seeing Mio on TV, as well as flashes of Natsu whenever she helps her colleagues rehearse by standing in as Kaoru. But if Kyoko Mogami can tap into this unchartered potential, so can Kanae Kotonami, the one who will become the face of the industry in the near future. And there's no better subject to test her fare on than the other person she allowed into her seclusive life, clad in a white sport jacket with black stripes, a black printed T-shirt, gray convertible pants and white sneakers, and presently addressing her as...

"Hey, LoveMe girl," Hiou said, walking a couple of steps behind his guide. "...Do you at least have a better name I can call you? Because LoveMe girl is getting more and more awkward everytime I say it." There was a touch of familiar disgust in his voice when he made the latter remark.

"_Hmmm... Names... Names..."_ Kanae lifts her index finger up to her chin, skimming through a list of characters she had come across in various scripts and shows. But in the end, probably because she keeps on hearing and reading this almost everyday for the last few months, she blurts out, "...ko. Just call me Mouko. It's what my friends in the LoveMe section call me," she said with skin-deep cheer, even doing that "sparkling" L-sign with her fingers when the department was mentioned.

"Mouko?"

"Y-yes. It's a pun made by my colleague. Kind of grew on me since..." She wouldn't admit it, but over time, it really has grown on her.

Hiou makes a desperate effort to control his snickering, but some of it still found its way into Kanae's ears, much to her embarrassment. "Well, at least it's not suggestive like LoveMe girl."

"You can blame my friend for that!" she blurted out unconsciously in a cross tone with the dark glasses hiding her flustered face, but quickly covers it up by blithely adding, "In turn, I call her yeti, or pig-nosed elephant. We're just that close." She smiled with her teeth grating against each other, as if she really, really appreciates the way Kyoko makes her look even dumber than she already is when in this uniform. Seriously, Kyoko needs to control her impulses in public.

"If you say so... Mouko-san." Finally getting hold of himself, Hiou asks, "Anyway, where are we going next?"

"Hmmm," Kanae thinks of facilities that might interest him but aren't very crowded at this hour. She didn't want to look like some sort of babysitter of all things. "How about our rehearsal studio? After that, we can stop by the AV room and the auditorium," she suggested, imitating the style of a tour guide on those ten-minute features.

"Sounds good, but can I at least get a drink first? Walking around the halls has gotten me all thirsty." He pointed at the teal vending machine right ahead.

"O-of course! Anything for our cute special guest!" Leading the Hiou towards the machine, Kanae lets out a weary sigh. As she thought, she couldn't handle prattling like Kyoko any longer than five seconds any more than she can handle this particular task. _"I seriously wonder how she could last through a day acting all hyper..." _A cynical voice in her head speaks, suggesting she drop the act this instant. Seeing him all convinced though, or at least acting like it, she felt all the more tempted to keep it up longer. If he really thinks she's someone else, then kudos to her for being such a great actress. If he's only playing along with her, then it means he understands why she has to hide her real job at LME from him, and she can trust him with the secret. Either way, this is a good practice for both of them – about the only good thing she can salvage from this murky situation she had gotten herself into a month ago.

"Uhh... Mouko-san...We're already here," Hiou casually interrupted, his side already leaning on the vending machine's edge. Instead of flustering back to his side though, Kanae makes a smooth save by ambling back and forth across the machine, immersing herself with a pretentious thought, up until Hiou called her attention again. Ad-libs are always helpful in live performances when you know what you're doing. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just going through our potential itinerary again. Anyway, what do you want?" She unzips her beltbag as she walks in front of the machine.

"Kyurara," he answered readily while fishing through his pockets for change, but when he moved away to insert them, his guide went ahead and put her own money in.

"Can or bottle?" she asked sternly before he could react, or complain, or whatever.

The second-generation actor averted his eyes towards the machine, understanding that he couldn't refuse the offer. "...Bottle. But let me repay you later."

"No. I'd put shame to our company if we let you pay for something like this," she said with a polite smile. "Just save your money for a video game or... Or whatever you want to buy."

Hiou looks away, as though annoyed."...Fine... If you insist." Then again, its just like him to respond that way, believed Kanae.

For the next few seconds, only the vending machine's noises were heard across the hall, sounding louder than they're supposed to since they were the only people present and neither of them said anything else. First came the beep when Kanae pressed the button for the Kyurara bottle, then the respective zooms and clanks when she put the money in, and finally the rumbling as the beverage drops and rolls down the opening, capping the dull array. "Here you go." She hands the bottle over to Hiou, bearing a meek smile she actually meant.

The only response that could elicit though was a faint blush on the younger guy's cheeks, which she couldn't see well in her tinted lenses. Once the bottle's in his hands, Hiou circles around Kanae and gets ahead of her before she even takes hint of it. They continued their tour in silence that was both awkward and reassuring at the same time.

* * *

The rehearsal studio was without its students nor instructors by the time Hiou and Kanae (or Mouko-san in this case) arrived. As the latter opened the lights, traces of the activity that had ceased to make way for a recess were found, particularly clear folders and stapled scripts left resting on a few chairs, as well as some furniture arranged specifically at the center, perhaps for a scene the trainees are practicing.

Modifications have been made in this studio since Kanae and Kyoko first stepped within its threshold to put a stop to Maria's mischief, most notably the addition of a mezzanine with a winding flight of stairs, a truck load of furniture, props and mock outfits, and an overall expansion to accommodate everything. Often the ones to leave the building last, in this room's case cleaning after the trainees and instructors, the LoveMe girls have seen these changes unravel one piece at a time, even lending their hands in some of the lighter chores. Of course, Kanae didn't have to tell him that, and neither the fact that both she and Kyoko still attend the classes held in this room every now and then - both as students and substitute instructors, much to the annoyance of jealous starlets. "This is where we hold our acting workshops, which includes internalizing characters and scripts, speech exercises, developing facial expressions and others," she explained, extending her arms out as though presenting it. "So, what do you think?"

"Not bad... Not bad at all," Hiou coyly remarks, looking from left to right as he walks in to explore, as if he had just discovered a hidden room that nobody else has. He started examining the readied props, extending his hand towards the oak table that seems to be the focal point of the scene they're practicing, hesitating at first but eventually running the tips of his fingers across its surface, slowly absorbing its existence. But no matter how good he is at acting indifferently, Kanae can see the boyish glimmer in his eyes and the smile he couldn't quite suppress, like an ordinary preteen or adolescent having fun on his class trip even though they're merely at their first stop. And much like him, she couldn't suppress a smile either.

Observing him as he went up the mezzanine, it occurred to Kanae that Hiou might not have been in a studio like this before. Unlike most aspiring talents including herself, a free pass to the showbiz industry is in his genes, along with the potential he inherited from his parents. He didn't have to enroll his way into workshops to get to where he is now; he was born and raised in the industry, that's why something as ordinary as a rehearsal studio amazes him so. The realization wiped the smile off Kanae's lips, wilting into a frown. Most boys his age are probably taking their final exams around this time if not waiting out the remainder of their school year, but him? He's dragging along his family name's fame, and carrying the burden of having to live up to it. Like Kyoko, he too was thrust into the world of adults a little too early thanks to the influence of people around him. Unlike the former however, he can't easily cut himself off that particular relationship. _"I guess that explains why I never saw him as any other boy his age..." _After a heavy sigh, Kanae sits on one of the vacant chairs to rest; she hadn't had a decent break since that damn nightmare woke her up, not even during breakfast since it was technically still part of work, not to mention that acting all cheery like Kyoko's already starting to take its toll. She had always admired how Hiou handles himself both in and out of work: quite maturely especially when put side-by-side with idiots like that co-star of theirs. But if she couldn't help but feel for him in this matter, then surely it must be taking its toll on him deep down, not taking into account the promise they made on Vale... Vain Day.

"You sure you okay, Mouko-san?" Hiou startles her with the question, even more so when she found him already seated beside her and squinting at her face.

"Mou! Don't startle me like that!" Kanae snarled back. Her glasses nearly fell off when she recoiled in surprise. "I-I'm just taking a break, is all." Once the glasses were all fixed up, the facade is back in action. "Anyway, how do you like this room so far?"

"It's really cool! Holding classes someplace packed with all sorts of stuff students can work with especially during free rehearsals... Even I feel motivated to be more creative just by stepping in here," he said, the amazement seething through his face.

"Hmm... I suppose that's true," she agreed with a slow nod.

"You ever take part in classes here?"

"Sometimes, when my sche... When I'm not doing any chores. Part of the company privileges."

"Wow, lucky you..." Soon afterward, the young actor feels a bit displeased, the reality of his situation seemingly dimming away his earlier glow. "...To be honest, I've never been on an acting workshop before. Let alone an audition." Hiou somberly concentrates on the recently-waxed flooring, or perhaps his own regrets seeping out of him and into the air floating beneath them. All of a sudden, the cold, irritable look in his eyes resurfaces, drying the glimmer out as he confirmed Kanae's earlier musings.

"Oh yeah?" she pretends not to know, or at least have any ideas, and simply tried to be as sympathetic as she can manage without revealing herself purposely. "How did you land your first drama then?"

"What can I say? I practically won the role by default: a seven year-old son for this family drama a few years ago," he began, his gaze not moving from the emptiness before him. "Only had a few lines, but they couldn't find anyone matching the required age who can pronounce or memorize well, plus the fact that there's not a lot of child actors here in Japan. Then a producer remembered me from a party I had to attend with my folks and how I still fit the image without looking a couple of years too old. So he called up my dad and asked if he could bring me over to read a few lines in front of the production team. Sure, I did my best with what they asked of me, and was pleased with the idea of earning my first role for a while, but later on, I found out I was already set to appear as the son beforehand because of the hype my being a second-generation actor brought to the show." Hiou grunts bitterly after his narrative. "I know I should be more thankful for that opportunity, as well as the ones that came immediately afterwards, but I'd rather experience falling in lines during auditions and the tension of waiting for call backs, praying that all I've learned so far will be enough to land the role than just getting them through my surname... Makes me want to just change my name into a single-character _Kanji_ sometimes..."

Kanae had heard of the story from Matsuda-san before, but now's the first time he told her about it personally. She had seen the drama as well and was quite surprised at the life he's able to infuse on such a small role, when this particular portion of the industry, both here and overseas, is predominated by kids whose abilities can be likened to squares - still lacking in dimension. To think that even those who hired him for the role don't appreciate him as simply himself and not somebody's son... Kanae can't blame Hiou for feeling as discouraged as he is. Its not his fault that there's only a handful of choices for child roles other than him though since most parents would rather send their children to middle schools. "At least you're not flaunting those advantages on purpose. Putting aside the lack of competition in your current line, there are lots of wannabes all over the world who think the red carpet's all rolled out for them to waltz on only because they're related to some legendary actor... Or some financial mogul for that matter." Erika's image, clad in her tutus and flanked by her butlers and money cases and all, comes to mind as she mentioned it. There was a time when Kanae believed that show business is really only for those who have or can afford better connections, back when she was still procrastinating a lot, but working on that Kurara commercial and observing her friend's Cinderella story from the sidelights has reignited her faith in the industry, where skills should be the measuring stick and nothing more. "But look at them! They only cling to their names, some publicity or whatever to keep them in front of the camera. And not everyone appreciates those types of incompetence, most especially those who have an eye for real talent!"

Relieved after listening to Mouko-san's rather stern lecture, Hiou bursts into candid laughter, his voice bouncing around the empty studio as if there were a couple more pupils sitting at the back row laughing with him. "You know what? That's exactly what this other... Other woman said when she defended me from a critic... Hers sounded tougher though, but you get the point." As images of that "other woman" shoving his critic aside and brazenly giving him and everyone else on the set who doubted him a piece of her mind last Valentine's Day replay itself in Hiou's memory for the umpteenth time, a rush of blood burns his face, forcing him to look away from her. "If she only knows how much her words inspire me to work really hard..."

Little did he know that the pink-clad lady beside him had a more subtle, but similar reaction. "...I'm sure she can sense it one way or another. Girls aren't as dense as you guys are... Maybe except for someone I know." Kanae had no idea that around this time, Kyoko's reeling from the pain of having the contents of her heart extracted out of her...

"I doubt it," said Hiou after a grunt. "I was supposed to be on this photoshoot with her earlier today, but your boss invited me here and told my mom and Matsuda-san to call in sick for me. Heck, I didn't have any say in it!"

"Tch... I can imagine..." Oh, she can imagine how President Lory exercises his influence, alright. That's why her nightmare bothered her more than it should.

The prodigy groans, sinking his forehead down his palms in frustration. "If she finds out that I lied, she'd probably be like 'what the hell's wrong with you, playing hooky after all those big words you said about working hard!' or something."

"...Well, maybe you should just tell her President Takarada put you up to it. That'll be enough of an excuse, trust me"

Hiou tilts a suspicious look up at Mouko-san. "Why should I trust you? We only just met..."

"Of course you can trust me. I'm part of the LoveMe section after all!" Kanae does the L-sign again to stress her pretentious point. "I won't do anything that will make people hate me." The truth is, she never really cared if a lot of talents and aspirants at LME hate her guts, nor if they appreciate member #1's willingness to take their crap, that's why she's often behind the daily tally. But as this version of Mouko-san to Hiou, she had to say things he normally wouldn't hear from her, especially after that comparison he made between her and... well, her. Even if she had to make as much of a fool of herself as how she pegged Kyoko when they first met at the audition. In some respect, this was like payback for judging her too soon.

Fortunately, her co-star's still taking her seriously. "I would've believed you instantly if I didn't know about the stamps," he sighs, "but I guess you're the only one who wouldn't pester me about all this later on."

"You have my word on that." Mouko-san gave him her most reassuring smile.

"But still, I need a proof of trust," Hiou flatly demanded.

"Ehhh?!"

"I'm not gonna take advantage of you or anything," he said with a touch of annoyance. "I just want you to open up to me too."

"Mou! You should've just said so!" Kanae snapped. For a minute, she was horrified, remembering the time Kyoko tried to force her into another dumb hand gesture: a pinky swear. "So, what do you want to know? Just don't ask me anything stupid like vital statistics or what..."

"Let's start with how you wound up in this... This racket." He gestures his hand towards her striking overalls, not wanting to refer to it by name anymore. "I'm sure that doesn't count as anything 'stupid'."

_"You're right. It doesn't. But how am I supposed to tell you about my most humiliating audition ever?!" _The real Kanae growls from within, disgusted at the image of a crying President Lory that automatically popped up when she remembered how she got cut because of something irrelevant to her insurmountable acting skills. _"To think I was so confident that I'd make a great impression by not being a total hypocrite like a lot of actresses are!"_

Lucky for her, someone would unwittingly come to her rescue...

"Good afte-" a young girl's voice pierced their privacy, cut short by a gasp. "Oh my gosh! You're Hiou Uesugi, aren't you?!" As the girl raced closer to them for a better look, Kanae recognized her through the dark violet lenses as the trainee who played the role of Angel in the production Maria tried to sabotage, wearing typical practice attire. The same Angel who acted with Kyoko under a script modified midway through the scene. She doesn't know her by name since they seldom meet during classes. "It is you! I-I'm a big fan of your work!" she extends her hand to shake Hiou's, completely forgetting the presence of the person she intended to greet in the first place.

"Really?" he asked, reluctantly accepting the handshake that turned out rather... Fangirlish.

"_I can't believe this one had it in her..." _Kanae commented mentally.

"Yes!" exclaimed the girl who once played Angel. "I've seen all the dramas you've been on so far, and even if your roles aren't that big, I can still see the effort you put in every one of them! What's even more inspiring especially for someone like me is that even though we're about the same age, you're already a pro who acts a lot better than some of your seniors!"

"T-thanks. It's an honor for me to hear you say that, really..." It was easy to tell from Hiou's abashed face that he's still not used to people, especially girls, coming up to him to earnestly commend him and not poke fun at how cute he looks.

Finally letting go of his hand, the trainee then asks coyly, "Um, if you don't mind... Will you sign me an autograph, Uesugi-san?"

"Errr... I don't really know how it works, but... Sure..." Another thing he's not used to: being referred to with such a glorifying honorific.

While the girl rushed to the leftmost chair in the row they're at to fetch the clear yellow folder she had apparently left, Hiou borrowed a pen from Mouko-san, looking all flustered.

"This is the first time you've been asked by a fan, I bet," guessed the pink-clad actress, producing a pen from her beltbag.

"Hmph... Its obvious, isn't it? When people walk up to me, they'd rather pinch my cheeks or have a picture taken instead of ask for something like this." After a heavy sigh, he confesses, "I'm really nervous..."

As she handed over the pen, Kanae sensed the younger actor's fingertips trembling when he reached out for it. "Well, just take this as evidence that you have real fans out there..." Including me, she wanted to add, but refrained to avoid suspicion.

Hiou's hand stops shaking upon hearing her advice, enabling to take hold of the pen's length firmly. "You're right."

The girl finally returned some seconds later, holding out her folder. "I don't have an autograph board with me, so I hope the back of my script will do," she said timidly.

"No worries," he said to her politely as he wrote his name, and then a simple dedication and word of gratitude below it. Not a sign of his earlier uneasiness, nor of him trying to mask it with his acting.

In some sense, watching Hiou signing his first real autograph reminded Kanae of LME's very own Ren Tsuruga, at least his sincere graciousness towards his co-stars and members of the production who come to this building to do business, as well as some trainees who chance upon him in the lobby and ask for a short advice. She barely knows the man other than as an A-list actor working under their company, and a recurring terror in many of Kyoko's misadventures, but from the glimpses she had coincidentally seen while running errands around the building, she can at least see how considerate he is with the people he's working with or the ones who walk up to him to applaud his work as long as they're not being a pain, though her friend's tall tales warn her of how mean he can get to those who are either unprofessional, unreliable, or simply a waste of his time.

_"Yup, its probably the duplicitous part,"_ Kanae concluded, remembering the way Hiou usually talks to his fangirls, a bunch of them fitting those three taboos accurately. There's also that story Matsuda-san told her about him literally throwing away chocolates some of them have given him just moments before... Before "that event"... Though she wouldn't deny that it felt somewhat flattering, considering how he didn't throw hers in spite of how she gave them to him..._ "But maybe it's because he's finally able to talk to someone from his age group, that's why he's readily making the exception..."_

Some minutes later, Kanae spots Supervisor Sawara suddenly appearing across the entrance through the corner of her eye. He was going to call her audibly, but she hushes him up with a signal. Around that time, Hiou has taken interest in the script he just signed and began speaking with the girl about the story in it, and Kanae didn't want anyone disturbing him from experiencing youth even for a short while, especially after seeing that youthful glow in his expression return once the conversation went underway. Silently, she excuses herself and tiptoes towards Sawara, already expecting another request.

"What is it?" she asked Sawara flatly.

"Sorry to bother you again, Kotonami-san," Sawara began in a sincerely apologetic manner, "but can you do run some errands at my department for a bit?"

Kanae raises a skeptic eyebrow as she crosses her arms. "Alright, but I'd appreciate it if you'd be more specific with the nature of these errands."

"That's the thing. You know its White Day, right?"

"Yes."_ "More like Spite Day if you ask me..."_

"You see, every March 14th, the president asks..." Sawara nears Kanae's ear, as though in fear that someone might overhear. "Actually, he orders every male employee in this company to return all the _honmei_ chocolates they've received and eaten during Valentine's Day, otherwise there will be dire consequences..." He pulls away after relaying the information.

_"Mou! If the president regards Vain Day and Spite Day so much... He should just declare it a company holiday like everyone else does!," _she complained mentally. The news wasn't all that surprising to her, probably because she's already expecting something like it after President Lory visited her in her dream and personally handed her a similar order, or she's just too tired to care at this point. Still, she keeps her poise and posture up, hearing out the rest of the directive with a calm visage of a professional.

"But it looks like most of them decided to shop for chocolates and gifts during lunch break and haven't returned yet." The supervisor exhales a restless sigh. "There's just so much urgent work left than I can handle by myself and the rest of our female staff, that's why I'm asking you."

Kanae imitates his act of resignation. "Guess that leaves me with no choice..."

"The good news is, there's a lot of opportunities for you girls to earn points today!" Sawara tried to lighten the mood up. "Even Amamiya-kun's already pitching in."

The mention of LoveMe points and Chiori reminded her of the horrendous punishment of being Bo until Kyoko's exams are over. She had almost forgotten about it quite frankly, too distracted with trying to hide this shameful bit in her job description to the only friend she has made in the dramas she has done so far, and even that cover's beginning to slip, what with the comparison he made between her and _herself_. _"Seriously, I don't know what to do with this day anymore..."_

Passing one last glance at Hiou before complying to the request, Kanae decided against informing him of her abrupt departure. He's already engrossed in helping the trainee with her lines by standing in for a character, throwing lines at each other while using the readied props and all, and interrupting him for something so petty will only push him out of his groove and this illusion altogether, or worse, force him to follow her. She of all people know how precious this experience is going to be for Hiou moving forward; having lived her middle school days in isolation and fear of some heiress's influence, missing out on something as ordinary as human interaction has become one of those regrets she only admitted to herself when she and Kyoko became friends. Besides, distancing herself from a huge distraction like him will help her send Amamiya inside that cursed chicken's stuffed frame, wipe that smug look on her face for daring to challenge her of all people.

In the end, all votes favored letting him live this dream as long as possible, so that's what she did, heading off to the Talent section's offices with a wry smile on her face.

* * *

"Mou... I can't believe something as ordinary as typing can be a pain...," Kanae muttered, moving her hands away from the keyboard so she could bury her head in them. Supervisor Sawara mentioned something about the lack of manpower at LME right now, but he didn't say a thing about his department being a barren one. Everyone's still on break, and she's supposed to pick up their backlog And their backlog, a pile that goes up to about eighteen inches when stacked together, is no laughing matter for someone who doesn't really use the computers other than for watching videos and the occasional research - things she can now manage with her mobile phone. Sure, she can remember all the information she has to encode after a few seconds' glance, but her fingers and shoulders aren't built for heavy typing. Worse thing is, even Sawara himself has absconded to fetch a Spite Day gift for his wife. So much for being Mr. Reliable who holds the fort for the team, though a lot of them probably think they're gonna get fired if they don't comply with the president's unreasonable request. Chiori's nowhere to be seen either, probably doing chores on another department if not engorging on the bento Hiou was supposed to give to "someone else". _"She's a better fit for this job," _Kanae frustratedly thought, imagining her latest comrade-in-arms channeling her obsession with notes into a computer.

Elders always warn the ambitious youth to be careful with what they wish for, and Kanae now regrets not listening to that age-old advice. She got her wish alright: she's now bound to hours and hours of boring work so she could be away from Hiou while he's having a good time with that Angel girl at the training class, which should be starting by now, as paranoid as those trainees are with their diet. For all she knew, he's probably having classes with them already, having the time of his life while she's stuck in this office room by herself, her sanity dwindling like a crooked lightbulb. _"I probably should've told him where to find me at least..."_

For a while, Kanae just sulked there, alone, bored, hungry, and just flat-out stressed. And the only thing that comforted her was the room's silence, her old friend... Until another's voice deprives her of that too.

"You look like you need a hand there, Mouko-san."

Alarmed, she snaps to her right where she heard the voice along with the swiveling of a chair and finds Hiou at the cubicle adjacent hers, the chair he's on turned directly at her. "W-what are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be at the rehearsal studio?!"

"First of all, you forgot your pen, so I asked that mustached guy where you went." Hiou waves the pen at her while he wheels the chair around at about fifty degrees back and forth. "Second, I didn't come here to attend your acting classes. I'm here for President Takarada. And third, you're supposed to be my tour guide. You don't expect me to walk around by myself, do you? I can deduct you points for that."

Kanae averts from him and starts hammering away at the keyboard. "Why don't you just ask Amamiya like you did earlier when you gave her a hundred points and a bento?!"

"I wouldn't be here if I wanted anyone else to tour me, you know," he said, planting his feet on the chair's base so he could look straight at her.

The cynical actress slams her palm on the desk and looks sternly at the second-generation prodigy. "Do I look like I can walk around the building with you right now?!" At this point, she was too drained to keep that "Mouko-san" farce she put up all the while.

"That's exactly why I'm offering you help," Hiou retorted with a cheeky smirk, catching Kanae off-guard.

"B-but..."

"I'm a fast typer, you know. Comes from playing all sorts of PC games during my free time, probably... Besides, its good for building character too, and I don't mean it for acting only."

And then, a minute of silence, the two of them testing each other's stubbornness as they exchanged stares. Eventually, it was the LoveMe girl who caved in first, too worn out to contend any longer than that.

"There's nothing I can say that will change your mind, now is there," Kanae said after a sigh.

"Nope," Hiou answered, shaking his head curtly. "And that goes for your other chores as well. After all, we absolutely need to finish the itinerary. Think of it as part of a special guest's privilege."

_"Mou! You didn't have to remind me!"_ "I'm telling you now before it's too late... A lot of people will ask for my, or our help as we go along, and that might take away all the spare time you have before you meet with President Takarada. Is that alright with you?"

"Just move away from the computer for a bit and let me prove to you that I mean what I said."

"...Fine." Officially conceding to Hiou's willfulness, Kanae pushes her chair back so he could drive to her station. "But make sure you don't mess up. Its my reputation on the line."

"Whatever you say, Mouko-san..."

As she began passing down Supervisor Sawara's directions to Hiou, Kanae slowly comes to a realization that part of her is glad he chose to be with her than that Angel, most likely the part that's so used to them being the only ones that hang-out with each other on-set, ignoring all the rumors their co-stars and their co-stars's assistants spread around. _"Maybe I should just let him understand for himself why I have to carry this burden instead of trying to hide it from him," _she figured as she watched him diligently type away like he had promised, speaking only when in need of assistance or corrections. _"After all, I'm part of this damned section because my acting lacks any emotion... And he's the one who helped me realize it fully, that's why I gave him chocolates..."_

Still a long day ahead of her... No, the both of them, but at least its starting to look up.

* * *

Chapter End.


End file.
